What exactly is starving yourself? I only get hungry two to three times a day and it doesn't take a lot of food to feel me up. Yet I hear doctors say that if you don't eat enough, or get enough calories, you'll go into starvation mode and actually store fat. So tell me: If you really don't feel hungry, could you still be starving yourself?

For those of you who lost weight successfully, how often did you eat and how much?

Getting hungry 1-3 times a day sounds pretty normal to me. I wouldn't expect that you would need a lot of food to fill you up at your height.
I am one inch shorter thn you and eat 3 meals a day and I am hungry 3 times a day, I eat about 1200-1300 calories a day and that is enough for a short, small boned person who doesn't do a lot of exercise, such as myself. It is not reasonable that I would need the same amount of food as someone 5'10".

Thank you bargoo. I'm going to start eating just three times a day, and maybe throw in a little snack.

Does anyone else have any contributions?

I don't believe in starvation mode, but this sums it up better than I can
http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top...-debunked.html
I find that the bigger deficit I have the more I lose - whether its if I eat more and therefore have the energy to work out more or I eat less (usually the latter results in greater loss).
Basically, in the starvation mode experiment, yes the metabolism lowered after a while for grown men who ate 1500 cals a day but it never caught up the rate where they ever stopped losing weight - in fact even when they ate at maintenance for awhile afterwards they were still losing a little. They would lose in big wooshes - possibly because the deficit was so big that it caused their bodies to retain water - which might be why cheat days can result in a big woosh in weight - not real fat loss, just your body finally showing how much water its been holding.
At one point, I followed Lyle Mcdonald's rapid fat loss handbook - I ate a little more - like 900 cals a day and lost weight steadily and quickly.

jamie, I do have snacks usually under 100 calories, non fat yogurt, Laughing Cow Cheese wedges, maybe fruit, these are some of the possibilities.

I've personally found that if I suddenly eat too little and for an extended period, I eventually experience a rebound effect that I can't control. To me it's a feeling of starvation, in that my mind becomes obsessed with getting more food for a period of weeks. I believe this is the result of a hormone imbalance triggered by a sudden drop in intake. I'm sure there's a different level for everyone though. I just wouldn't eat under my BMR to be on the safe side.

I think it is very important to eat only when hungry.

Thank you so much for that info pixelllate. That makes me feel better. Like I said, I'm going to eat just three meals a day. 13 carbs in veggies, and 6 ounces of meat with each meal a day. So 20 carbs a day. (Atkins) What do you think of that? Think it will help?

And girl81, I went by that very principal back in 2010 and lost ten pounds, returning to my goal weight. But it didn't yield results for me this time. Got to try something new. But thanks for the advice.

And thanks to others who offered comments.

jamie, I don't really count carbs - but as long as you are getting adequate nutrition - enough protein, carbs and fats in your diet for you as an individual and its a diet you can stick with, it sounds good. If its giving you the nutrition you need, how about trying it for a few weeks and seeing how you feel and how your weight changes? That's usually my rule of thumb - I give it a try for a few weeks (just in case it causes water retention in the first week and therefore I won't see the progress)

In my opinion, eating only when you are hungry and only what it takes to make you feel satisfied is very healthy. It's a great way to lose a little weight and then maintain it.

I think starvation mode is bunk.

I've evolved to the point where I'm only eating one big meal a day. I'm simply not hungry. I refuse to force myself to eat when my body doesn't want me to. It's counterproductive. Plus, I find it a lot easier to control my macros when everything is all on one huge plate. Picking all day just makes me feel emotionally hungry and out of control.

ETA: And judging by the fact that my muscles are finally GROWING like I want them to, and fat is melting off... it's clear that I'm far from starving .

ValRock, maybe I was doing it wrong, but I tried eating only once a day, and I ate something small instead of a big meal, and I actually lost muscle and no fat. And I know someone who eats a big meal once a day, and he hasn't lost any weight. What's your secret?

When I say one big meal... I'm talking one big clean 2000 calorie meal with the right macros . Gotta feed the muscles!

What does the macros consist of?